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British Land says that occupiers from “a range of sectors” are showing interest in moving to the firm’s massive Canada Water development. Building work could start in the second half of 2019 once planning permission is granted.

The developer’s half-year results – published on Wednesday – included a lengthy section on Canada Water which is reproduced below.

Canada Water: A unique redevelopment opportunity in London

Highlights• 5m sq ft mixed use development scheme• Master development agreement signed with Southwark Council in May 2018• Planning application including detailed planning submission on the first three buildings and outlineplanning for the whole scheme submitted May 2018• Valuation up 0.3% to £293m

At Canada Water, we are working with the London Borough of Southwark to deliver a 5m sq ft mixed use scheme,including 3,000 new homes alongside a mix of commercial, retail and community space. The site benefits fromexcellent transport connectivity with Canary Wharf and the West End two and twelve minutes respectively on theJubilee line and Shoreditch just ten minutes away by Overground. It covers 53 acres including the dock area,providing 48 acres of developable land.

We started engaging on our masterplan proposals in 2014 and since then have held over 120 public consultationand local outreach events. These have attracted over 11,000 people who provided 12,000 comments on ourplans, enabling us to shape a design with strong local appeal. Together with Southwark Council, we have nowcommitted to a Social Regeneration Charter which will ensure that residents in the borough benefit from thedevelopment.In May, we submitted our planning application, which included a detailed application on the project’s first threebuildings together covering nearly 580,000 sq ft. Our plans include 265 homes of which 35% will be affordable.Building A1 will provide both residential and workspace and building A2 will be focused on workspace and a newleisure centre, with both providing a small amount of retail at ground floor. K1, the third building will be whollyresidential. These buildings are part of a major first phase covering 1.9m sq ft of mixed use space.

The development agreement which we signed in May 2018 sets out the terms of a new headlease, whichconsolidates our holdings into a single 500 year headlease with Southwark Council as the Lessor. This structureeffectively aligns the ownership of these assets, with British Land owning 80% and Southwark Council owningthe remaining 20%. Southwark Council will have the opportunity to participate in the development of theindividual plots, up to a maximum of 20% and returns will be pro-rated accordingly. This headlease becomeseffective on the fulfilment of a number of conditions, most importantly achieving outline planning consent for thewhole masterplan and detailed planning consent for the first three buildings.

Subject to planning approvals, construction of the first detailed plots could begin in the second half of 2019.

Potential funding structures will be explored when we have greater visibility on timing, ahead of which, we arealready seeing interest in the space from a range of sectors and discussions are underway on several buildings.

In the meantime, the Printworks has become an established live and electronic music venue, frequently hostingcrowds of up to 5,000. Ticket sales and visitors are now up to 300,000 with 31 shows scheduled for the Autumnseason.

The valuation of Canada Water increased to £293m benefitting from progress made with our planning applicationalthough we continue to incur feasibility costs in relation to the Masterplan.

Southwark Council says that around 20,000 people attended this year’s Southwark Park fireworks display.

The council says that 96 per cent of visitors were Southwark residents who’d claimed their free tickets to the show, and 40 per cent of people came from the neighbourhoods immediately surrounding Southwark Park.

Cllr Rebecca Lury, cabinet member for culture, leisure, equalities and communities, said: “Fireworks night is my favourite night of the year so I am delighted that we were able to, once again, provide a free fireworks event for the people of Southwark.

“The fireworks this year were absolutely stunning and it was lovely to see so many local people and families enjoying the show.”

Pupils at Redriff Primary City of London Academy have been taking part in activities to mark 100 years since the end of World War One.

Children from nursery age to Year 6 have been involved in a wide range of activities, building up to the school’s Remembrance Assembly today and finally culminating in the unveiling of the school’s memorial garden.

The memorial garden has a steel solider inscribed with the words ‘Redriff Remembers 1918-2018’ including crosses, placed by the children, bearing the names of the 600 soldiers from Rotherhithe who were killed in the war.

Also featuring in the garden is a silhouette, which has been supplied by the charity Remembered as part of its 2018 Armistice project –There But Not There.

The children have also constructed a poppy made from stones on which they have written the names of each solider.

The poppy will remain as a permanent feature in the school’s playground.

The garden will be completed on Friday during the Remembrance Assembly when the final crosses will be planted.

Mickey Kelly, executive headteacher of Redriff Primary, said:

“This week has been a moving experience for all the students and staff at the school.

“The children have really grasped the importance of Armistice Day and World War One.

“Teachers have held workshops for the children on what life was like in the trenches and the different aspects of the War, from roles animals played to the impact of the War on women’s lives.”

Environmental expert and bee-keeping specialist Clare Street has won the TCV Star of the Future Award at Year at TCV, the community volunteering charity’s, Annual Awards.

Clare, who shares her time between working as a Volunteer Officer at Stave Hill in Rotherhithe, Dulwich Upper Woods and Railway Fields in Haringey, received her award in a celebration of TCV Heroes at the Barbican on Tuesday .

The Star of the Future Award recognises the achievements and future potential of TCV projects and staff, who have helped other people improve their confidence, skills, and prospects, through learning inspired by the outdoors.

During her time as a Volunteer Officer at Stave Hill Ecology Park, Clare has trained as a beekeeper and raised funds for an observational beehive to teach all she’s learned to the next generation of apian enthusiasts. Claire has also revamped the centre’s ‘bee classroom’, decorating it with her very own bee-themed artwork.

When she’s not helping to care for some of the planet’s most prolific pollinators, Claire works hard to engage young minds through the environment. She has designed and built two Vegetable Teepees for children to play and grow food in, one at Stave Hill and the other at St John’s Primary School in Rotherhithe. St John’s Primary School now has an extensive food growing site and hosts regular vegetable club get-togethers, where pupils can enjoy the fruits of their labour.

TCV teams across London love working with Clare and have been impressed by the substantial improvements she has brought to every site she’s worked at – she’s even earned the nickname of “Super Clare” amongst her fellow environmentalists.

TCV has received £400,000 from players of People’s Postcode Lottery as part of their Postcode Green Trust. With this money, TCV will be able to extend their work connecting people and green spaces to benefit both the environment and the health and wellbeing of the local community.

Rebeka Clark, Site Manager at Stave Hill Ecology Park said:

“I can’t think of anybody better suited to this work than Clare – you need to be precise, calm, and orderly, and that’s her all over. She goes about her work beautifully, and no little detail is ever missed. Working with Clare, nothing is ever about her, but instead it’s all about the project itself and how she can move things forward.”

Clare Street, TCV Star of the Future Award Winner, said:

“People need their green spaces. It’s really important to me that children are getting out and involved in looking after the natural world around them, and reaping both the physical and mental rewards.”

Professor Tony Crook CBE, Chair of the Conservation Volunteers, said:

“These awards reflect the core of what TCV does. Our staff and volunteers not only help create and enhance green spaces but through this work help to build more human and social capital, thus supporting the communities involved in looking after these spaces. The need to improve spaces and enhance communities is immense which is why I and my fellow Trustees are keen to engage with more partners to work together on these challenges.”

Darren York, Chief Executive of TCV, said:

“At TCV we’re passionate about creating healthier and happier communities for everyone and we’re immensely grateful to our stars of the future like Clare for their hard work and creativity.”

A new timetable has been introduced this week on the Thames Clippers ferry service between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, with two extended gaps in service during the day.

This is the email sent to passengers:

The RB4 Doubletree Docklands ferry timetable is changing from 5th November 2018.There will be a break in service between 1053 and 1157 and between 2103 and 2140 weekdays.Your journey may be affected as follows:Morning break:Last boat before break: 1050 from Canary Wharf to Doubletree DocklandsFirst boat after break: 1157 from Doubletree Docklands to Canary WharfAfternoon break:Last boat before break: 2100 from Canary Wharf to Doubletree DocklandsFirst boat after break: 2140 from Doubletree Docklands to Canary WharfSee the new timetable here: https://www.thamesclippers.com/servicechangesWe apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your continued and valued support.

The changes follow criticism from Historic England which warned this summer that “the 162m tower in Plot D would block the silhouette of Tower Bridge’s south bastion in kinetic views along London Bridge, visually competing with its monumental character and reducing its landmark status along the Thames”.

Under the latest plans – submitted to Southwark Council this week – the tallest element of the scheme has been reduced from 162m to 138m, with two other proposed towers also reduced in height.

Roger Madelin, Head of Canada Water Development at British Land, said: “The Canada Water Masterplan is a unique opportunity to deliver a genuinely mixed new urban centre in a unique part of London. It’s essential that we get this right, and we are pleased to be submitting our revised plans to Southwark Council.

“This is an exciting regeneration project for which there is a lot of enthusiasm locally, but we remain committed to listening to the community and responding to concerns. Over the past few months, we have been in a constructive dialogue with Southwark Council and the local community to improve our plans.

We are proud to be submitting an updated application for a project which is just as ambitious, but better responds to feedback that has been received from the local community and others.”

Other changes include alterations to the massing of the proposed office and leisure centre building, and revisions to the housing mix.

See the full details of the revisions by viewing the documents at planning application 18/AP/1904

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has given a £20,000 boost to plans to light up six historic Rotherhithe buildings with a pledge of City Hall cash to the crowdfunding campaign.

Funding is being sought to examine the technical feasibility of illuminating six historic buildings in time for 2020, the 400th anniversary of thesailing of the Mayflower from Rotherhithe to the New World.

The minimum pledge is £2 and backers will only be charged if the target is reached.

Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, said: “All Londoners should feel that they are part of the regeneration of their neighbourhoods and crowdfunding is a really effective way of giving people a stake in their part of the city.

“The Mayor’s Crowdfund London programme empowers Londoners to bring about positive change in their local area and I would encourage people to support these innovative projects.”

Bermondsey residents living near the ‘super sewer’ site at Chambers Wharf are being invited to have their say on how cash from the project should be spend to improve local open spaces and play facilities.

The project area is shown on the image below. The play study covers the whole area whilst the environmental improvements are focused on the Dickens Estate.

“It’s easy to get involved,” said project team member Julia Plumb. “It’s your area, so tell us what you like or don’t like about the play spaces and green areas, and what you’d like to see happen to them.”